Traveling Soldier
by drumblonde
Summary: AU. Blaine's about to be shipped overseas when he meets Kurt. They become friends, but will it turn into something more?
1. Chapter 1

Hi there! So I don't know what exactly it is with me and soldier Blaine, but I like the idea of it and I want to write more of it.

So here's the beginning to what will be...I don't know, exactly. This will be multichaptered, and probably contain all sorts of things, so give me feedback on what you want to see from me in this story.

I hope you enjoy this :)

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><p>Blaine didn't really know where exactly to turn. His friends from high school and his short time at college didn't really do much to stop him, nor did it seem like any of them really meant it when they said that they would keep in touch. He didn't really expect any different, anyways. Things weren't that simple in his life, and he was tired at working at friendships, because so many of them seemed like they didn't care enough, he simply let them dissolve. Of course there were a few good friends in his life, but they were pretty much scattered all around in their own crazy lives, and while Blaine knew that they really wanted to stick to their promise, he understood that most of them just didn't have the time.<p>

So that's why he found himself sitting at the bus stop in the rain on a Sunday, waiting for something to come along.

It had been an ordinary day, nothing special, but nothing too mundane either.

Just another day.

But his days at home were numbered. It would be a couple weeks until he left with his unit for somewhere overseas. He didn't really care very much where he was going. It didn't matter because all he wanted was to leave his life.

It's not that he hated his life. No, not at all. It's only that things had gotten so—predictable and forced—that made him take a step back and ask himself _is this what I really want?_

Of course he didn't want that life. He had known probably his entire life that he wasn't comfortable with habit, with expectations, with anything that came with predisposed ideals about how he should be, how he should live his life.

He didn't hate it, but he was only tired of it. Law school was great when he did his work and minded his own business and kissed his teachers' asses to get better marks on his work. But that wasn't really him, and he knew it even before he applied there.

He only did it for his parents, of course. Everything was to please them, from the activities he did in high school, the grades he got, down to the way he dressed and styled his hair. He was a repressed version of himself, and it took a simple revelation one day to make him realize that.

His parents hadn't been all that happy with him, but he was an adult now, and was perfectly old enough to make his own decisions. Besides, they had stopped caring long ago when he came out to them.

-O-

He sat there at the bus stop in silence, not really intending to go anywhere, but he didn't really want to stay where he was either. He was about to get up when he saw him walk into the restaurant, coat draped over his arm and a black apron tied around his waist.

He was hungry, so he figured he would go inside and get a bite to eat. Besides, he had nothing better to do and he was curious about the guy he just saw.

The diner wasn't that busy, so he seated himself like the sign up front told him to, and grabbed a menu from the countertop. He chose a little booth in the corner and slid into the seat, sitting back and reviewing the choices on the menu.

The food actually sounded pretty good, but he couldn't really decide what he wanted. He was still examining the menu when his server came up with a notepad and asked him what he wanted to drink.

He looked up, startled by the soft tone that came from the guy standing in front of the table, but then smiled once he saw that it was the man he was curious about. Up close, his hair was perfectly coiffed and his skin was nearly perfect. It looked really soft, and Blaine sort of wanted to touch it to see if his skin really was all that soft. He grinned up at the man, and told him he'll have a coffee, black.

"Sure thing," said the man, and he walked off to pour Blaine a cup. Blaine couldn't resist checking his ass out, of course, because this guy was actually pretty hot, in a delicate, almost feminine way. He realized that was a mistake, because his ass looked pretty damn good in those jeans, and he tore his gaze away before he started to gape. He didn't want to have to explain why he was staring at his ass if the guy all of a sudden turned around and caught Blaine looking.

He came back with the cup of coffee, along with a little pitcher of milk and a caddy of sugar packets. Blaine thanked him and grabbed one of the packets and added it to the steaming cup, and stirred it with the spoon that came on the side. He took a sip, reveling in the warm feeling that flushed all the way to his toes, taking away that damp feeling from the light rain that still fell outside.

The man came back with the notepad, and asked him in that light voice, "Alright, what can I get you to eat?"

Blaine smiled again. "Well, what do you suggest? I've never eaten here before."

The man smiled back at him, pleased that someone asked his opinion on something. Most of the patrons of the diner never talked to him much, so he figured he would take advantage of this really, _really _good-looking guy talking to him.

"If you're in just a normal hamburger mood, then get the extra-special burger. The secret sauce is amazing. Or if you're feeling a little adventuresome, then get the meatloaf and mashed potatoes." He laughed a little. "World class cuisine here."

Blaine let out a little laugh too. This guy was pretty funny. "You know what?" he said. "Why don't you pick out what I should have? You seem like you have pretty good taste, and you probably know the menu here better."

The man was surprised. "Uh—okay. Are you sure?" Blaine nodded. "Alright, soup and salad it is."

He left once more and Blaine sat alone at his table, sipping his coffee and thinking over things. He really kind of wanted to get to know this guy better. He was intriguing.

The man brought the food to his table, a nice, hearty vegetable soup and a big plate of what looked like a chef's salad. He was about to leave again, but stopped when Blaine said, "Wait!"

He turned back to Blaine, a question in his eyes. "…Yes?"

"What's your name?" Blaine asked.

The man narrowed his eyes. He never had customers asking his name. They all didn't care and usually just left a tip on the table, and never did anything beyond that.

"Kurt," he said.

Blaine smiled again. "Hmm. Kurt. Well, I'm Blaine," he said.

"Nice to meet you, Blaine," said Kurt, still hesitant.

Blaine looked down at the coffee cup in his hands. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to—uh—hang out or something after you're done here. You see, I'm feeling a little lonely. I don't really have anyone to talk to," he said sheepishly, not daring to look Kurt in the eyes. _Oh god, _he thought. _Why the hell did I just ask that? I'm such a creep._ After a couple seconds of silence, Blaine glanced up at Kurt, still waiting for an answer, and he saw Kurt clearly thinking it over in his head. Did that mean he had a chance?

"You know what?" said Kurt, "I'm off in an hour, and I know where we can go." He smiled again and left to go serve the rest of the customers in the diner that had all of a sudden poured in for the lunch rush.

Blaine took his time eating his food, in between chewing the lettuce thoughtfully, sipping at spoonfuls of the soup or reading the newspaper he got from the stand near the jukebox on the wall. The diner was predictably 50's themed, with black and white checkered linoleum floors and red, shiny countertops.

After a while, Kurt came back, but he was dressed in more normal clothes and he had his jacket on. He sat down in the booth across from Blaine and saw that he was finished eating. "I'm done working for the day," he said, explaining why he wasn't in his uniform anymore. "We can go if you're ready."

Blaine nodded, finishing the last bite of salad and wiping a napkin across his face to make sure he didn't drip anything on himself. "Don't I need to pay?" he asked.

Kurt pointed to the cashier at the front. "That's where you pay." He held out the receipt to him and Blaine took it, calculating how much he needed to tip Kurt.

He grabbed his wallet from his pocket and fished around in it for a five, and tried to give it to Kurt, but was met with a firm "No."

"Why? You did your job. It's only fair that I tip you," said Blaine, confused.

But Kurt wouldn't take the tip, no matter how much Blaine protested. He eventually gave up and went up to the front to pay for his meal so he and Kurt could leave.

-O-

They walked along the board walk before Kurt found a bench to sit on, scooting over and patting the other side of him so Blaine would sit down. The weather had finally cleared and things were starting to warm up when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. There was a faint trace of a rainbow in the distance, but not enough to really notice.

"Well, you wanted to talk, or hang out, or whatever," he prompted Blaine.

Blaine looked shy again for a moment. "Um, well I don't really know how to say this. I—I'm leaving in a week. My unit is going overseas and—"he broke off, afraid to ask. "I don't really have anyone to talk to. My friends are too busy to care, and my family pretty much cut me off when I told them I joined the army." He laughed nervously. "But you don't have to if you don't want to," he added quickly. He put his head in his hands and groaned a little at his forwardness. "What am I doing? I don't even know you! You must think I'm some creep for asking you this."

"No, no you're not crazy," Kurt cut in. He thought for a second. "I—I want you to write to me. You're right, we don't know each other. But I think you're interesting. I want to get to know you," he said finally.

Blaine's eyebrows shot up. "Wait—really? You do?"

"Yeah, why not?" Kurt shrugged. "I'm still finishing up school, so it would be nice to have somebody to talk to, you know?" He smiled at Blaine, and gave him a gentle nudge.

"I—uh—okay, then," said Blaine.

Kurt stood up from the bench, and turned to Blaine. "Come on, there's a carnival going on down at the pier. I haven't been to it yet, and it's the last day."

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><p>AN: So...what did you think? Let me know what you like/what you don't like. I really want to turn this into something. I seem to have lost wind on other stuff lately, but I like this and I want to keep it going.


	2. Chapter 2

Blaine loved carnivals. He hadn't been to one since he was 12, and he missed the fleeting sense of summertime when the carnival came around. It was the last chance he had to have fun, to be a kid until school started and he had to grow up. Once he started seventh grade, however, that had ended forever, and his parents told him he had to focus on the important things in life and not some silly carnival for little children.

As he stepped on the pier, he felt the years slip away, stress melting as a genuine smile lit across his face. Kurt could see the sparkle in Blaine's eyes and told himself he would ask Blaine about it someday. But now was time to enjoy the carnival, with the little time that was left.

They walked by the booths and Blaine stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh, Kurt! This is totally my favorite carnival game! I used to play it all the time. Can I?" He looked eagerly at Kurt, almost looking like an adorable little puppy.

"You can do whatever you want, Blaine. It's your life."

Blaine fist-pumped the air with a silent "YES!" and half-hopped over to the booth. He took out his wallet and handed the guy in charge a couple of bills. The guy gave him three baseballs and told him the instructions: you must knock all three cans down using the baseballs in order to win the prize. If you knock them all down in the first try, then you get the biggest prize.

Blaine stood behind the counter and aimed his throw. He used to play this all the time, so he knew exactly how to knock down all three cans in one shot. Pretending to be nervous, he took a deep, calming breath and threw it at the center of the pyramid, just below the top can, and knocked everything over.

"YEAH!" he shouted. "Still got it!"

Kurt clapped in amusement, laughing to himself at this guy he had just met, yet has already charmed him enough for Kurt to bring him here. "Which prize are you gonna pick?" he asked Blaine.

Blaine thought for a moment. "I don't know." He cocked his head to the side, examining his options. "Why don't you pick one for yourself. I'm not going to need it anyways."

"Fair enough," said Kurt, and he moved closer to the counter as he chose the large, stuffed monkey hanging on the side. It was as tall as his waist and the guy at the counter had a little trouble hoisting the cumbersome toy over the edge.

Kurt went to grab it, but Blaine got there first. "Let me carry it. You had a long day at work, I assume. Just relax for the rest of the day."

"…okay, I guess."

Soon enough, they found themselves waiting in the line for the small roller coaster set up by the edge of the carnival. The queue snaked along the perimeter of the ride, but they passed the time by talking about everyday things, like school, work, and their friends.

Before it was too long, it was already time for them to get on, so Blaine put down the monkey on the side and got in after Kurt. When everyone was on the ride, the coaster operators gave the OK and sent them away, hurtling through the twists and turns, clutching at the sides of the car and screaming loudly in happiness.

The ride was over all too soon, and Blaine and Kurt were dizzy with adrenaline and had to wait a moment before setting off again for another part of the carnival. By then, it had grown dark and the lights shone brightly, illuminating everything for everyone to see.

The carnival had a different charm at nighttime. If the fleeting sense of the end of summertime was felt during the day, it was all the more salient at that night. The next day, the carnival would be gone, packed up and moving to the next place to entertain the next crowd of people wanting to experience summer one last time.

Blaine and Kurt must have looked like a funny sight, or at least Blaine did, for he carried the giant stuffed monkey on his back, as if he were giving it a piggyback ride. Every time Kurt glanced over at Blaine he had to stifle back a laugh because it just seemed so silly to be bringing the monkey along everywhere they went.

They walked further around the pier, looking for something to eat, and settled on burgers and curly fries. After they stood in line and paid for their food, they looked for a table to sit at and found one near the edge of the food area and sat at the benches.

They ate in silence, because they didn't realize just how hungry they were until they dug in. Blaine finished first and ate his fries while waiting for Kurt to finish the last bites of his burger. All of a sudden, Kurt stopped and picked at his fries.

"Ugh, I cannot believe I just ate all of that. I'm going to have to practically live at the gym for the next month to work that off." He picked up a fry and tossed it back on the tray. "Ugh," he repeated.

Blaine laughed. "Come on, you look fine. One burger and an order of fries aren't going to ruin that." Kurt blushed at the compliment, but he could tell Blaine genuinely meant it.

"Meh," was all he could say in response to that, so he ended up just letting it be and he ate another curly fry.

They sat in silence for a little longer, just gazing around at the scenery, the lights, the rides in action, the kids running around everywhere asking for cotton candy from their parents. Blaine excused himself for a moment, then came back a few minutes later with a huge stick of fluffy, blue cotton candy.

"Oh my god, you can't be serious," said Kurt. "You're not going to eat that all, are you?" he asked incredulously.

Blaine shrugged. "Well, there's two of us here, and I'm sure you still have some room left somewhere."

"No way, I am not eating all that sugar. I cannot mess up my skin by eating that. I simply won't allow myself." Kurt was adamant in refusing the cotton candy, so Blaine shrugged again and ripped off a piece and popped it in his mouth. "Fine then, more for me."

They went back to sitting in silence again, Blaine eating his candy, both of them watching the people that walked by. Kurt loved to do this, because he always liked to imagine what other people are thinking and what their lives must be like, based on a short glance into it. He wonders if people do the same for him, and if they even manage to get anything right.

Blaine liked to play this game too, but he liked it simply to watch other people. There was something relaxing about it, and it always managed to calm him down after a stressful day.

A woman passed by, a hardened look on her face, and she held two crying children by the wrists and was tiredly walking them out of the carnival. The kids looked extremely tired and unhappy to leave, and the poor woman didn't look like she had had any breaks for a long time.

Blaine leaned in closer to Kurt. "What do you suppose is up with her?" he asked quietly, so that other people nearby wouldn't get weirded out by their observations.

Kurt thought for a minute as his gaze continued to follow the woman and her kids on their way out. "She must be a single mother. I didn't see a ring on her finger, and there was no guy to be seen anywhere." He looked a little sad after that.

"What do you suppose happened?" asked Blaine quietly.

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. Divorce? Not married to begin with? Widow? I really have no clue. She just looked really sad. And tired." He had that sad face again.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Blaine. He could tell something was up with Kurt, even if he still didn't know him all that much yet.

"Hmm? Oh no, it's nothing. I'm fine. Just a little tired, is all." He smiled at Blaine to show him that he was okay, even if it was just a face he put on. He didn't really want to pour everything out to this guy he doesn't even know properly.

Blaine leaned back again. "Okay, then. If you insist that you're fine…" He took another piece of cotton candy and placed it gently on his tongue this time, letting it melt slowly in his mouth and trying to see if the candy had dyed his tongue blue yet.

Kurt took this opportunity to sneak a piece of cotton candy from Blaine and snuck it into his mouth before he noticed. Except Blaine wasn't _that_ oblivious.

"HA! I saw that!" Blaine smiled smugly to himself. "I _knew_ that you wouldn't be able to resist the delicious taste of cotton candy. I win."

"Shut up," said Kurt, rolling his eyes. But he had a grin on his face and stuck out his blue tongue at Blaine.

-O-

Eventually, Kurt had gotten so tired he ran the risk of falling asleep standing up, so they made the executive decision to leave the carnival and go their separate ways. Blaine did accompany Kurt home, but to make sure he wasn't going to fall asleep in the street somewhere and get mugged or something. _You can never be too careful_, he told Kurt.

They exchanged contact information, and Blaine asked shyly again if Kurt had really meant what he said about letting Blaine talk to him when he left.

"Of course I will. I don't back down on my promises. That's not the kind of person I am," he said simply.

"I—just thank you, Kurt. You don't know how much this will mean to me," said Blaine.

They stood awkwardly at Kurt's door, not quite knowing what to do, but they eventually settled on some hybrid of a handshake and a hug, and Kurt dug in his coat pocket for his keys after they pulled away.

"Don't be a stranger," said Kurt, unlocking his door and stepping inside. He closed the door and leaned against it. _What had just happened? Did that day really occur?_ He peeked out of the peephole and saw Blaine linger on the doorstep for a moment longer before he turned away and hopped down the steps and walked away down the sidewalk.

Kurt didn't really know what he had just gotten himself into. He promised himself that he wasn't going to go into anything too soon. He was still putting the pieces of his life back together after a messy breakup a couple of months ago. Why exactly had he agreed to keep in contact with Blaine? After all, he had never met the guy before today, and next week Blaine would be gone.

But there was something about him that Kurt found _so _interesting. He was a nice guy, for starters. He seemed like he liked to live life at a fast pace, but there was something holding him back. Kurt wondered what that could be.

And it didn't hurt that Blaine was probably one of the nicest looking guys he had ever seen, not just personality-wise. Kurt didn't normally like dark, curly hair, but on Blaine, it was strangely _hot_ to him. And his smile was always so genuine. Kurt never had to guess once throughout the day what Blaine meant when he smiled at Kurt. That much was clear, at least.

But no, why was Kurt thinking about these things? He remembered his promise to himself, and vowed to keep things strictly friendly. There was no sense in getting attached to someone who wasn't even going to be around for who knows how long?

As much as he didn't want to, Kurt had to push those thoughts away.

Across the city, Blaine finally made his way to his own apartment and let himself in.

He sank into his couch and sat there for what seemed like hours, just staring into a blank space ahead of him.

All he could think about was Kurt. He couldn't tell what Kurt really wanted out of this at the moment. Blaine was only looking for friendship, though, and he had the feeling that Kurt was feeling the same way.

All he wanted was just a friend. But there was something that was niggling at the back of his mind, and he couldn't quite place what it was.

_I hope I don't screw this up,_ he thought.

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><p>AN: Sorry I didn't make this clear. Blaine and Kurt are both 21, in their junior year of college. Blaine goes to law school, and Kurt is at an art school.

Again, any feedback is good feedback. I really want to know if people like this. I have a vague idea of where I want to go, it's just the problem of going here to where I want to end up. So any help with that is _greatly_ appreciated :)

Oh! And I will probably change the rating for this at some point. Not yet, but eventually :)


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Kurt made himself go to the gym like always so he could work off at least a little bit of the food he ate the night before. After he was done there, he returned to his apartment and showered, getting ready for his morning class.

As he sat in that class later on, he found it difficult to concentrate. His mind kept going back to the day before, retracing all the events that had happened.

The day had started out rather crummily. He liked school for the most part, but he hated taking summer classes. He only did it so he could graduate sooner, but that didn't mean that he liked it.

His job wasn't all that great, either. He had never imagined himself to be working in a restaurant one day, but he supposed that there was always the exception to the expectations one holds in their life. It was enough, though. It paid the rent, it gave him something to do, and somehow it led to him meeting Blaine.

Things just weren't going his way at all. All day Kurt had had to deal with cranky customers who wanted refill after refill of their coffee, and he just wanted to throw the pot of coffee in their faces and tell them to get on with themselves.

He even had to take a quick break. His boss wasn't all that happy about it, but she could see the frustration welling in Kurt's eyes and relented, telling him to take a breather, and to take things easy.

Outside, behind the kitchens, Kurt had paced back and forth, nearly screaming everything that came to mind (he hadn't of course, that would have embarrassed him thoroughly—he only said the things in his head) and kicking at the rocks in the alley way.

10 minutes had gone by and his little break was over, so he gathered up his apron from where he threw it on the ground and dusted it off. He had to go back in there with a strong will. The rude patrons weren't going to get to him for the rest of his shift. He wasn't going to let them.

On his way back inside, he noticed the man sitting on the bench across the street, watching him with a curious look on his face. Kurt glanced away before the man saw that Kurt had seen him, and went inside.

He didn't know that the man was going to actually come in to eat, or that he would seat himself at one of Kurt's assigned tables. Really, he didn't know until the man looked up from the menu and ordered a coffee.

_Oh,_ was Kurt's initial thought. There wasn't much more to be thought, however, because then before he knew it, the man was asking his name and introducing himself and asking him to hang out later. _Was this guy—Blaine—asking him on a date?_

Still, he didn't know what possessed him to say yes at the moment, but he found himself agreeing to Blaine's proposition before he had to serve the other customers pouring in. He left Blaine to eat his lunch in silence, and found no time to think about it until he was done with his shift.

Even later, he really don't know why he agreed to Blaine's other proposition. Kurt didn't do things like this. He didn't jump into things without thinking about them thoroughly first. He always weighed the risks versus the rewards, because then his past would come back to haunt him, one way or another.

But this was different.

Blaine just looked so _lonely_. He couldn't say no. Not to someone who looked like they needed a friend more than anything in the world at the moment.

So he agreed, and then dragged him to the carnival, which had actually been rather fun. Granted, he still regretted eating all the junk, but it was fun. The stuffed monkey sitting in the chair near his little kitchenette was a testament to that.

He smiled at the memory. There weren't a lot of memories that he could look back from recent times and laugh or smile fondly at, because he was still healing from the hole left behind by Derek.

But that didn't explain the way his heart jumped a little whenever Blaine smiled up at him the night before, on the roller coaster, walking side by side, eating fair food and people watching, saying goodnight.

Maybe his heart could heal a little if he befriended Blaine.

His professor finished up the lecture and Kurt was snapped out of his recollections by his classmates shuffling their stuff together all around him and leaving the room. He got his stuff together quickly and left, heading back to his apartment to start on his art project for this class he needed to finish before he was allowed in the final year of the program he was in.

The problem was that he didn't know where to start. Every time he gathered up his materials in the little living room and sat down to paint, something always held him back. It drove him crazy to think that his admittance into the one program that he set his entire life around revolved around this project. And he couldn't find a single bit of inspiration for it.

Luckily, he had a lot of time to do the project. The professor stressed how important this was, so she wanted to give as much time to allow for creativity as possible. The only rule was that the medium had to be a painting.

Sitting in his living room once again, he threw his brushes down, pacing back and forth around the small apartment. He turned the TV on, hoping to glean _something_ from it. Anything to strike his muse and just get painting.

Nothing.

Kurt was frustrated. Fashion had always been his true calling, and art had come easily to him because of that. This was the last formal art class he needed before his senior year of college and his internship would start. But he needed the painting to get into the internship.

He sank down on the couch next to the chair with the monkey. The monkey stared into space, but almost cross-eyed. The eyes hadn't been sewn on evenly, and it looked funny.

Kurt decided to name the monkey Pablo. He got up and padded over to the chair where Pablo the monkey lay, picked it up and sat down back on the couch, hugging it tightly.

"Well Pablo," he told the monkey, "get ready for an intense month of long nights and lots of coffee breaks."

-O-

Another day passed and Kurt received a phone call from Blaine, asking to hang out again.

"Hi, um, I don't know if you're busy or not later today, but I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out again. The carnival was fun," said Blaine in a rush into the phone.

"Sure," Kurt told him. He hoped he didn't sound too enthusiastic, but he really needed a break from trying to work on that art project. "What did you have in mind?"

"I was wondering if you were into theater stuff at all. There's a revival production of Wicked going on right now. I kind of wanted to see it, if that's okay with you," he added.

Kurt brightened up considerably. "I would love to see that! I really love theater, and that's one of my favorite shows."

"Okay, cool!" said Blaine. "Do you want to grab a bite to eat before, or after?"

"How about afterwards?" offered Kurt.

"Alright. It starts at seven, so why don't we meet there about a half hour before to get seats and everything?" said Blaine.

"Sounds like a plan." They exchanged a few more pleasantries and then hung up. Kurt sank back down into the chair at the table where he was eating a late breakfast and smiled to himself.

He sat there for a while, then made himself get up and get ready for work. He didn't have a class that day since it was a Tuesday, so it was a work day and he had to prepare himself to face that. Maybe today would be better since he had something to look forward to.

-O-

Blaine had been afraid to call Kurt. He didn't really know if it was too soon or not. He didn't really do this sort of thing, usually people asked him out.

But this wasn't a date, he told himself. They were two friends going to the theater and getting something to eat afterwards. He would be leaving in five days. There wasn't anything more than that.

Besides, it seemed that Kurt was holding onto something. He probably already had a boyfriend anyways so Blaine didn't even want to think about treading that territory. So he waited a day between the carnival and calling, just to make sure.

He didn't know what he was doing at all.

* * *

><p>AN: I apologize for this one being rather short, but this was a sort of filler to bridge a gap and give a little more background. I'll try to have the next update up as soon as I can, but if I don't get it up before late Friday night, then it'll have to wait until some time on Sunday. :)

Anyways I hope you are all enjoying this so far. As always, let me know what you think :)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I am so sorry that this took so long to update. School has been crazy scheduling, and I didn't get the chance to write this when I wanted to. I can't post anything new until sometime after next Monday, so it'll be at least another week until an update. I'll definitely get more done when I'm done with finals though, and when I'm out for summer break. Anyways, I felt like I needed to finish this one today before I embark on finals week, so I hope you enjoy.

Also, I have been forgetting to do disclaimers lately, so fyi, I do not own Glee. At all.

* * *

><p>They met at the theater at the time Blaine requested. For some reason, Kurt actually stressed out over what he was going to wear. He didn't know why—he kept telling himself that he was just going to the theater with a friend to see one of his favorite shows. It was no big deal. But he still had trouble picking out what he wanted to wear.<p>

Eventually he decided on some simple, tight -fitting black jeans and a dark blue button down shirt with a charcoal colored vest. He wore his favorite black boots and that completed the outfit. He was glad that Blaine had called him early in the day so it gave him time to get ready.

Blaine had nearly the same dilemma across town. He didn't want to overdress, but he figured that the majority of what he had in his closet wasn't exactly suitable to go see a musical. The multitudes of plain t-shirts and jeans, along with the expensive suits for the occasions that called for it wasn't the best choice. Luckily, after some digging around, he found a decent pair of slim fitting dark jeans and a dark grey henley.

However much the both of them stressed out over what to wear, it was all forgotten in the excitement of seeing the show, and as they filed into the theater with the other patrons, Kurt was chattering excitedly to Blaine about the show.

They found their seats and continued talking until the house lights dimmed to warn that the show was going to start soon. Kurt got silent and began perusing his program, reading about the cast and crew. He leaned over to Blaine and pointed out one of the leads. "I've heard about her. She looks promising," he said with a smile.

Blaine could see how truly excited he was to be there. He hadn't exactly shown it when they talked on the phone earlier, but the way Kurt's eyes lit up when he spoke to Blaine about theater stuff in general told Blaine that performing was something Kurt held closely to his heart. He told himself to ask Kurt about it later, if he got the chance.

By then, it was already time for the show to start. Blaine hadn't seen it before, but he knew it was a great show from the reaction it got from the crowd and from Kurt beside him. The leads were fantastic, with beautiful voices and an overall convincing performance in general. Every now and then Blaine would glance over at Kurt to gauge his reaction at some of the lines of bits of the songs.

At Defying Gravity, Blaine could see Kurt mouthing the lyrics from the corner of his eyes, and when he turned to glance at Kurt, Kurt glanced back with a sad look in his eyes. Blaine was somewhat confused, but he didn't say anything.

Then, near the end of the show, Blaine looked over a Kurt again, this time during For Good. He looked much happier, despite the watery look in his eyes as he mouthed along to the lyrics again. Blaine smiled at this, and he figured that they would have a lot to talk about after the finale came to a close and when they got something to eat afterwards.

Twenty minutes later and four blocks away sat Kurt and Blaine in a little café. They each ordered a half sandwich to serve as a light snack and sat talking about the show. Kurt was raving about everything—the acting, the singing, the set—he was thoroughly impressed by the company that put it on.

"That was probably one of the best shows I have ever seen a local company put on, period. And I'm so glad that it was one of my favorite musicals, too." He beamed at Blaine. "Thank you so much for inviting me. I hope you liked it as much as I did, or that would be –"

"No, I loved it," interjected Blaine. And he really did. His favorite parts were probably whenever he looked over at Kurt and saw the immense love and respect Kurt had for the art, but he wasn't going to tell Kurt that…

"So there were a couple of songs that you seem really attached to," said Blaine nonchalantly. He was curious at the way Kurt had treated both of them, and he wanted to know if Kurt would tell him.

"Oh, that. It's just stuff back from high school. Nothing all that important," Kurt waved it off like it was no big deal.

The waitress came by to drop off their food, and the conversation paused as she asked if they needed anything more. "Oh, no thank you. This should be enough, right, Kurt?" said Blaine politely. He looked to Kurt, who nodded at the waitress. "Thank you," he said.

When she left, Blaine spoke up. "Are you sure it's not that big of a deal? I don't want to press, but it just seemed like there was something –"

"No, it's silly. Not that big of a deal," said Kurt again.

"I don't think it's silly. Anything that you consider important _should _be important, Kurt. And you obviously think so." Blaine was treading carefully. Now that Kurt was sort of pushing away the topic, he was even more curious as to what significance the songs held. But if Kurt brushed it off again, he would drop it, he told himself.

Kurt sighed. "Fine, if you _really_ want to know. Back in high school, I was in a glee club. I was quite—uh—insistent on things I wanted back then, and I really wanted to sing the solo, which was Defying Gravity. But I was up against Rachel, who was the queen of solos and sort of dominated the club. I wanted to sing it to prove a point that just because I'm a boy doesn't mean I shouldn't get to sing what I want. But…" he trailed off.

"…but?" prompted Blaine.

"…I messed it up. I cracked on the high F. It was so embarrassing. Rachel got the solo, and I was resigned to singing and dancing in the background. It was awful."

Blaine was quiet for a moment. "I'm sure that was awful," he said. "But now I really kind of want to hear you sing it."

"Oh god no," said Kurt quickly. "I don't really sing anymore. Not after I graduated from high school. I just don't have the time to really do it anymore," he said sadly.

Blaine considered this. "Well, I'm sure you have a wonderful voice."

Kurt nodded. "Oh I do. I just don't really sing anymore is all."

Blaine laughed. "Okay, then. What about the other song?"

Kurt smiled fondly at this one. "Well, in my junior year, we made it to Nationals and –"

Blaine nearly spit out his drink. "You what? You guys were that good?"

Kurt shrugged. "Yeah, we were pretty damn good, actually. Too bad my school didn't appreciate that." He shook his head to shake away the thought. "Anyways, we made it to Nationals, and Rachel and I snuck into the Gershwin Theater and sang For Good on the stage. It was incredible."

Blaine was confused. "Wait, I thought you said that Rachel was the one you battled for the solo…"

"Yeah, she was. But we ended up being pretty close. We were each other's only real competition, and we _got_ each other. We wanted some of the same things, and we knew _what_ we wanted in life. I figured things out when I sang with her. I realized that even though I loved performing, I loved other things more. But it will always be special to me. There's nothing like the adrenaline I get when I sing on a stage, whether it's by myself or with my old friends. It's crazy."

Kurt got lost in the memory, but then remembered where he was. "Anyways, Rachel decided that she wanted to pursue Broadway, and I, fashion. That was that. But it was a special moment between us. A positive one that reminds me of what I love." There was that sparkle in his eyes again that Blaine liked to see.

"I know what you mean," he said to Kurt. "About performing, I mean. I used to sing and all that too. But not nearly to the level that you seemed to!" They sat for a moment, reveling in the memories of performing in high school.

"So you were in a glee club at school, too?" asked Kurt.

Blaine shrugged. "I guess you could call it that."

"Are you going to tell me about it?" asked Kurt. He was waiting for an answer.

Blaine shrugged again.

"Hey! I told you about mine! It's the least you could do to tell me about yours!" laughed Kurt.

Blaine laughed too. "There's not really much to say. Our school liked us, but we never really got far in competitions. We mostly just did little performances around the school and in the community. Nothing really that big." Kurt gave Blaine a hard look.

"What?" Blaine laughed again. "We really weren't that big of a deal. I had fun, and that's all there really is to know about my experiences there."

Kurt finally shrugged. "Fine then." He sighed dramatically. "I pour my heart out to you in that gut wrenching story, and all I get in return is a simple story."

Blaine gaped at him. "Are—are you serious right now?"

Kurt looked at him for a few more seconds, then burst out laughing. "Oh my god! It's so hard to keep a straight face when you're so gullible!" He was almost dying of laughter, and Blaine was shushing him.

Kurt wiped a hand across his eyes. "Oh, stop. If you haven't noticed, we're practically the only ones in here." He gestured around the café to make his point. Blaine saw _maybe _three other people, but two of them were sitting outside on the bench and the other person inside was listening to an mp3 player and working on a crossword. He turned sheepishly back to Kurt. "Oh. I guess you're right then…"

Kurt was still recovering, and Blaine had to be the one to say it was time to leave. "I think that if you find it _that_ funny, you're probably really tired. Come on, we should go."

Kurt could only nod, his tiredness had now hit him almost full force. Why did it seem like every time he hung out with Blaine he always got so tired? It seemed kind of weird, but _whatever_, he thought.

Blaine insisted on riding the bus back to Kurt's apartment with him. "You are in absolutely no state to go home alone that tired again." Again, Kurt could only nod in agreement, because they had hardly sat down on the bus before Kurt was fast asleep.

The problem was that he was sitting in the seat next to Blaine. And he had fallen asleep on Blaine.

Now, Blaine didn't really mind. He knew that Kurt was really tired, so he figured he was just helping out by making sure he got home safe. It was Kurt who freaked out when Blaine gently woke him up once they started down Kurt's street.

"Geez, Blaine! Why did you let me fall asleep? I totally could have made it the whole ride. I'm sorry that I fell asleep on you –"

Blaine cut him off. "No, really. It's no problem. You need your sleep. You just seem a little stressed, so why not let you sleep?"

"Oh," said Kurt. "Nevermind, then." The bus came to a stop at the other end of the street at the marked bus stop, so Kurt stood up to get off. He paused before he did, and turned to Blaine.

"Thanks again for inviting me. This was really fun."

Blaine grinned up at him from his seat. He already missed the warmth of Kurt's head on his shoulder, but that couldn't really be fixed. "Anytime."

Kurt nodded, and then walked down the aisle towards the door. "Good night, Kurt," called Blaine from his seat.

Kurt stopped and called back, "Good night to you too, Blaine," and skipped down the steps.

Blaine watched him walk to the front door of his apartment as the bus pulled away, until Kurt's door was a tiny blob in the night. He sat back in his seat and sighed. Who knew that finding a friend like Kurt could be that easy? Or at least it seemed easy. There was an immediate comfortable feeling as soon as they met. Maybe that was it? Blaine wasn't sure that he would ever know or figure it out himself. All that he knew was that he liked their easy friendship, and wanted to keep it up as long as possible.

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><p>AN: You get two notes! \o/

I hope that if you've been reading this, that you've been enjoying it so far. Like I've said before, I have my ideas for this, so just let me know what you think of it so far. I would love to hear some more feedback :) And thanks again for reading!

Also, for now and future reference: I apologize if I get any facts about anything wrong. Don't be afraid to correct me, and I'll fix it! :D


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hi! I'm so sorry this ended up being so long since I updated, but I was working on another fic (I'd love if you checked it out, btw – it's called Brave New Heart. I spent forever working on it and I still want feedback on it.) and then got distracted by writing a badboy!Blaine fic in the tumblr craze that picked up last week. Anyways this is _long_ overdue, and it's a little short, but I hope it's enough to tide you over until I get back into the groove of writing this thing, because **I do not want to give this up yet**. I like this verse a lot and I have lot of plans for it, so don't give up in this yet, either.

There will be more information and stuff happening in the story, etc as it progresses, but I don't have an exact map for how long this will be. It will just end up being whatever it ends up being.

Also, I absolutely _hate_ begging for reviews, but if you're reading this fic, then I really, **really** would like to know what you think so I can improve this story and my other writings. Even if it's just a little note to say you've been reading it or something, it matters to me and I want to know if people are at least enjoying this story that I'm trying to tell here.

This author's note has been far too lengthy, but I need to add the usual disclaimer that I do not in fact own anything related to Glee or the characters. I only pretend like I do (it's all in good fun, though).

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><p>The rest of the week passed much like the first couple of days. Kurt and Blaine hung out, but more as a chance to get to know each other before Blaine left on that Saturday rather than what one might call a date.<p>

Saturday finally came around, and Blaine left early in the morning, without saying goodbye to anyone. He didn't think his other friends would care, and he would be talking to Kurt still anyways, so he didn't see the sense in dragging out his goodbyes. He especially didn't want to say goodbye to his parents, let alone be in the same room as them. He couldn't handle that at the moment. Not yet.

He sat in silence on the plane between two other men who were going to serve and sacrifice themselves for their country. That was real patriotism. He felt sheepish sitting next to such an obvious display of that, because that was simply not the reason he chose to serve.

He pushed the thought out of his mind. He couldn't think about it, not there, not in front of everybody. He wanted to devote himself to getting his time out of it, and getting it over with in one piece.

There was just the lingering thought that he shouldn't have gone. Not when he had just found someone who could be a real friend to him. Kurt didn't seem to care what issues Blaine may have (and Kurt could totally tell that something was bugging Blaine), but he never pressed for answers, never laughed at him in a condescending way, never gave any reason for Blaine to doubt his sincerity. He wished that he could have found someone like Kurt a lot sooner, because maybe then he wouldn't have joined the military.

He fell asleep somewhere over the Atlantic, and jumped awake when the lieutenant shouted orders for them to prepare for landing. He stood up and took a deep breath. From that moment on, he was just another pawn to fight against the enemy. He only hoped that he would make it out alive.

-O-

Across the ocean, Kurt woke up with an empty feeling. Things this last week had been really fun. He hadn't let himself have that much fun for a long time, and it felt really good. But now Blaine was probably already landing at the site in Iraq, and Kurt couldn't keep himself from worrying about him.

What if he didn't want to keep talking to Kurt? What if he got hurt? Or worse yet, what if he got killed? They weren't close friends yet, but he felt like he would deeply mourn the loss of Blaine if it ever happened. Kurt didn't believe in a god, but he hoped and wished above anything that Blaine would make it out safely, because he didn't want to lose this new friend who understood him so much.

Going about his day, Kurt found himself thinking of the last week. The Wicked show, the trip they took to go shopping (that had been a fun adventure—Kurt found a lot of new clothes to fill his already full closet while Blaine sat in the random chairs in the stores they went to watching people and telling Kurt what he thought of the clothes Kurt had tried on), and especially the carnival that first day they met exactly one week prior. He really didn't believe that he would have had that much fun with someone who was still so much a stranger, but there was solidarity between them, one that stemmed from having to fend for themselves in the world, and that was what really brought them together as could-be friends.

It was a little difficult for him to function that morning since there was no class, and it was one of those random days he had off on the weekend, so there was really almost _nothing_ for him to do. The art project was still set up in the corner of the living room, but there was almost no motivation for him to even walk over there and pick up a brush and do something with it. He just didn't have the energy.

Instead, he decided to turn on the TV and watch reruns of his favorite episodes of the old shows he used to watch in high school, the ones he missed these days. It was different watching them now, with waves of nostalgia washing over him as he remembered what it was like for him to eagerly await new episodes each week (he wasn't huge on TV at all, but there were shows that he adored and _had_ to watch). These days, watching them was less about an escape but more for entertainment even though he still needed that outlet. He found it in other ways though, even back then. It made growing up a little bit more bearable when he was able to do that.

-O-

Their first conversation took place about two weeks later, when Kurt received an email with the date and time for their Skype call to take place. He found himself looking forward to it, mainly to make sure that Blaine was actually safe and to see his face looking back at him reassuringly.

He was a little nervous, that maybe Blaine would be less friendly and warm to him as before, and that he would lose interest in keeping in contact with him (even though it was _Blaine_ who had asked Kurt to be his friend). Those thoughts were thrown out, however, when they finally made the connection (after many of Blaine's failed attempts to get the program working and focus the webcam correctly) and Blaine was just as excited and nervous to talk to Kurt as the other way around.

"Blaine, really. How hard is it to make the call and turn the webcam on?"

Blaine frowned. "Hey! At first the screen was black. And then when I got _that_ to work, the sound wasn't coming out. And then the whole thing disconnected! You can't blame me for that."

Kurt laughed. "Blaine, calm down. I'm kidding. I'm sure you'll learn how to use technology just like any other civilized human being in no time. When the day comes, I'll be clapping proudly when they hand you the medal of honor." He couldn't even try holding back a smile as he teased Blaine, and this time, Blaine could sense the lightness in Kurt's voice and laughed with him.

"Just as long as they don't make me shave," he said, running a hand through his hair before scratching his chin, which was covered in a neat layer of scruff. "I like to keep up this façade as long as possible when I'm not around other people. Besides, pretending to be a caveman can be fun. In the last week, people have actually given me more of their food because they knew I was still hungry and they weren't sure if I was going to hit them over the head with my club and drag them back to my cave and eat them."

"It's a good look on you," said Kurt quietly, earning a tiny smile from Blaine. And in all truth, it was. It made him look rugged and a little 'devil may care', but in a classically handsome way. It was mirrored in his dark, messy hair, which stuck up in odd angles that told Kurt that he had just woken up from. It was rather cute, but of course he wasn't going to tell him that.

Instead he changed the subject and asked Blaine how the trip had been, how hot it was over there, how friendly (or unfriendly) the other people were, etc. They ended up having a nice conversation about the subject, until Blaine noticed the time and mentioned that he had to leave to go and learn some more procedures. He said a quick goodbye, but told Kurt that he would email him a list of dates that they could chat in Skype, or if that didn't work, then they could just exchange messages back and forth. Kurt agreed and muttered "See you soon" before the screen cut out and went black.

He sat there for a few moments in a comfortable silence, then got up and went over to his easel, still set up, untouched in the corner. Suddenly, he knew what he wanted to do for his project. He still had about a week left, but somehow that seemed like an excess amount of time for what he had in mind. It was only the matter of getting the image from his mind transferred onto the canvas with every feeling attached to it as possible.

Kurt stayed up all night to finish the painting, one, because he had the entire weekend off since his boss was going on vacation and gave the normal staff vacation time along with her own; and two, he _had_ to get it perfect without losing the picture in his head. It was so important that he got it right.

Finally, when he finished, he stood back and studied it appreciatively, adding a touch here and there to where he thought needed the last little bit of something. It didn't need much, however, since Kurt thought his subject was perfect and didn't need much fixing, but he still wanted to do it justice. He hoped that it was enough to convince his teacher of his talent and pass him.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: EEEK I'm sorry this took so long, after I promised to get them out on a regular basis. It turns out, I got distracted by things (notably the wonders that the internet beholds), and then before I knew it, I had to go to on vacation.

I would have updated, but there was no internet access there at all. So I had this (mostly) finished chapter and I didn't have the time to get it done and upload it before I left. But I promise to try to have another chapter in a couple of days before I leave again for the weekend. It depends on how much summer homework I get done and if I have enough in order before I have time to update again.

As always, reviews are very welcome (seriously, I hate asking for them, but I really want to know what you all think, so if you're reading this, then say something, _anything_ about the story, whether it's something I need to fix or something you liked). The ultimate goal is to improve my writing, and there's no way to do that without any kind of feedback. So yeah, _please_ review.

I don't own anything.

Another too long author's note. Sorry :/

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><p>Kurt turned in his assignment five days early, far ahead of the rest of the class and was rewarded a day off from his professor, who was ecstatic that someone was ahead of the rest of the class. When he handed it to her, she was already brimming with anticipation to see his work.<p>

"Kurt, I cannot tell you how much I look forward to giving this a proper look after everyone turns in the assignment. Good work, Mr. Hummel."

Kurt blushed at her praise. "Oh it's nothing, I just –"

"Really, Kurt. Go take the day off. You deserve it for all the hard work you put in this class. Now get out of here," she said with a smile.

-O-

A week later, when everybody had turned in their assignments, Kurt's professor announced that they were going to be holding a gala after the fall quarter to display the best works of the class. She mentioned that she was proud of everyone who had turned in the assignment and that they all received passing grades.

Kurt was almost bouncing in his seat in excitement. That meant that he got to take his last Fashion Design and Marketing class at last. He immediately started thinking of everything that he would get to be doing once he started the program, and the possibilities it would open up in his future. He was snapped out of his daydreams by his professor, who asked to see him after class.

He spent the rest of the time wondering what she wanted to talk about, and anxiously awaited the last five minutes so he could quell his curiosity.

Finally, the hour was up and the students bolted out of the room, while Kurt approached her desk nervously.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Oh, Kurt. Calm down. You didn't do anything wrong," she said quickly, noticing the look on his face. She waited for him to relax before continuing. "I simply wanted to know if you were okay with having some of your artwork featured at the gala when the time comes around."

Kurt widened his eyes, clearly in shock. "Really? You want _my_ work in the gala? Are you sure?"

She laughed quietly. "Yes, Kurt. I'm sure. You really are a fantastic artist. If you weren't so keen on becoming a designer, though you do have the talent for that, I would suggest that you become an artist. You have an eye for color and you find things to put into your art that I haven't seen much from the other students this year. I do hope you'll say yes…"

"Yes, yes of course! I would be honored," he said quickly.

"Good. I expect to see you there. Good luck studying for the rest of your finals."

"Oh, I don't have any other classes this quarter. My job takes up a lot of my time, so I only had this class for the summer."

"Well then enjoy the rest of you summer, Kurt."

Kurt nodded and made his way over to the door, before pausing and adding a quiet and heartfelt "Thank you," before leaving.

-O-

The next Skype session was a couple days after Kurt talked to his teacher, and he was beyond excited to tell Blaine. They had hardly gotten the connection set up before he blurted it out, without even waiting to say hello first.

Blaine was excited for him, too. He didn't know that Kurt was that good at art, and wanted to see his work. He asked when the gala would be, and Kurt mentioned that it would be sometime in December, before Christmas.

"Really? That's cool, because I'm on furlough for about a month from December to January," mentioned Blaine.

"You should go with me," said Kurt quickly. "I mean, if you like that sort of thing. Stuffy people looking at stuffy art and asking the age-old question: 'But what does it _mean?_'"

"Kurt, I had to grow up going to stuffy parties with my parents and pretending like I cared about what they were talking about. I think I can handle one more night of that. And besides, I want to see your art."

"Oh, okay then."

Then Blaine noticed a picture in a large frame sitting on the shelf behind Kurt. "Hey, who's that in the picture there?"

Kurt turned around to see what Blaine was talking about and saw the photo in question. "Oh this one? This is just the people from my glee club in high school. Here, let me scan it real quick and send it to you."

He placed it in the printer, and uploaded it to his computer, where he attached it to an email and sent it to Blaine. They talked for a little bit until Blaine's inbox pinged with the new message.

"Okay, so who's who?"

Kurt sighed. "Okay this might take a while." Blaine shrugged. "Hey, I have a lot of free time today. We're not doing much."

"Then which one first?" asked Kurt.

Blaine studied his screen for a moment. "Who's the one in the mohawk?"

"That's Noah Puckerman. He thinks he's a badass, but really he's just a big softie. Although he did take part in throwing me into dumpsters before he joined the club."

"Kurt, that's awful!"

"Well, he changed. After he got Quinn pregnant—she's the blonde one in the dress—he kind of took a different approach to things. I still talk to him these days. He really ended up being a nice guy."

"Wait, someone got pregnant?"

"Yeah. Quinn, like I said. Except there was this huge scandal where she told Finn it was hers. I don't know why he believed her, because she convinced him it happened in the hot tub, when they had never actual sex. Sometimes I still worry about him. But he's smartened up a little since then. His mom married my dad, so we're stepbrothers. He's the really tall one that I'm standing next to."

Blaine could see the look on Kurt's face in the photo, full of admiration for the boy standing next to him, but he wasn't going to comment on it. Kurt must have seen the look on Blaine's face, however, and clarified.

"Okay, yeah, I had a crush on Finn that year that the picture was taken. I try not to think about it anymore because I was ridiculous for thinking I could turn him gay for me, and it's just plain weird now that we're brothers. But we're close now."

"I wasn't going to ask…" started Blaine.

"Yes, but I could see that you wanted to." Kurt paused for a moment. "Anyways, the short one in the horrific sweater in the front is none other than Rachel Berry. She is the one I told you about that one time."

"Wait a second. _The _Rachel Berry? As in, from New Directions?"

Kurt stopped short. "No. Way. How do you know her, and our club?"

Blaine grinned. "I went to Dalton. I was in the Warblers. You would have to be an idiot not to know who Rachel Berry is."

"This is crazy. You were in the Warblers? They were so good! You guys were some of our toughest competition."

"That's because _I_ sang for them," said Blaine.

"Really? Wow. You look really different from back then," said Kurt. He meant the hair in particular. Back in high school, he had noticed that the front man of the Warblers had excessively gelled hair. These days, Blaine had it carefully styled in its natural way, except it looked a little overgrown and scraggly from being overseas.

Blaine nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I got rid of the gel. You know, you save _a lot_ of money when you're not buying a new bottle of it every week. I went through _so_ much of that stuff, it's embarrassing."

"Well, you were an incredible singer, so that kind of makes up for the oil spill on your head. And those horrid uniforms. I cannot imagine having to wear such an atrocious thing."

"Hey! It wasn't _that_ bad. I never had to worry about what to wear to school. Just go to my closet, pick out a clean blazer and slacks, and go to class. It was easier."

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I think I'll have to visit Dalton after I graduate and design them some new uniforms. Ones not so stuffy and _not_ polyester."

"That's just crazy though. I can't believe that we went to school so nearby each other. And that our groups competed against each other."

Kurt agreed with him, and they went back to discussing their respective glee clubs, talking excitedly about their friends and the things that they're done in their groups.

"Hey, you promised me that I could hear you sing someday," mentioned Blaine near the end of their conversation.

"Oh yeah, I suppose I did." Kurt thought for a moment. "What should I sing?"

"Kurt, I have no idea what would suit your voice. Like I just said, I've never heard you sing before. How am I supposed to recommend a song? How about something that you've sung at McKinley?" he suggested.

"Hmm." Kurt thought about the songs he has done and decided to do one of his favorites. "Okay then. I sang this when my dad was in the hospital. It's just a thing that's very important to me, and I like how I sang it."

Before Blaine was ready, Kurt began singing without any music, just the simple, sweet sound of his voice filling the speakers of the laptop situated on Blaine's cot.

_Yeah I'll tell you something_

_I think you'll understand_

_When I say that something_

_I wanna hold your hand_

Blaine was quiet the entire time, just listening to Kurt's moving rendition of the old Beatle's tune. He had never heard it done that way before, and quite frankly, preferred Kurt's version to the original. There was just something that was so much more personal on so many more levels in the way he sang it and let his insecurities flee for just a moment during that song.

When Kurt finished, Blaine was speechless. However, Kurt took that the wrong way, and began making excuses for himself and apologizing to Blaine. "I'm sorry, I think it's just been too long since I've sang in front of anybody, I –"

"Kurt, stop." Blaine seemed to have finally found his voice. "I am speechless because that was incredible. I just – wow."

"Oh." Kurt sat back. Well that wasn't what he had expected. He knew how good of a singer Blaine was and believed that maybe he was just saying that to be nice to Kurt, since they were friends, after all. "Are you sure, cau –"

"You were perfect, Kurt. Don't doubt your abilities. You have a gift," cut in Blaine. "You should sing more, even just for fun. I'm sure more people would want to hear your voice."

"Well, I still really haven't felt like singing until recently. My life has kind of been in utter chaos the last few months."

"Oh really? I'm sorry to hear that," said Blaine quietly. And really, he was. He didn't think Kurt should have any reason to say something like that. To him, Kurt deserved nothing but a carefree and easy life based on the way he treated most people. As far as Blaine could see, Kurt was one of the kindest people he had met in his years. Though he may have his moments, Kurt had been the only one to actually sit down with Blaine and have an actual conversation with him, rather than just ignore him like the countless number of other people Blaine had tried to interact with since high school.

"It's nothing you have to worry about," said Kurt quickly. He didn't want to talk about it, so Blaine left it alone and they finished up their conversation, promising to be there for the next one that was scheduled in a couple of weeks.

"It's nice talking to you, Kurt. Thank you," said Blaine at the end of the conversation. Kurt got out a quick reply before the connection ended and his screen went black again, like it always did. Somewhere in the two months that they had known each other, they had become fast friends. And, as always, Kurt thanked Blaine in his mind for seeking him out that day at the diner and asking to talk to him. Only this time, there was something at the back of his mind that he couldn't put a name to.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: And here's where we raise the rating :)

I'll be on vacation again this weekend, but when I get back I'm going straight back to trying to update this, in between getting my schoolwork finished and my community service hours for my senior project. And yeah, this one is a little longer than usual.

Like always, **_please_** review and let me know how you like the story.

I don't own anything.

SO without further ado, here's chapter seven .

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><p>The months passed quickly and summer turned into autumn, and autumn was quickly turning into winter. December had come out of nowhere, and Kurt was up studying like crazy for his finals that quarter.<p>

Blaine was due to come home in a couple of days, but Kurt had forgotten in the flurry of work he had to do, with school, his job, and trying to organize things to do with his other friends. He was like a zombie, so it was a complete surprise to him when someone knocked on his door on a Saturday right before finals and he was shocked out of his crazed focus.

Kurt groaned loudly at the interruption and decided that if he ignored it long enough, then the person would just go away and he could go back to his studying. A minute later, more knocking. Kurt went back to ignoring, and put his earbuds in to block out the noise, hoping that he could be left in peace. Then, his house phone rang. He didn't have caller ID, but he didn't want to get up and check it. If the person had really wanted to get a hold of him, they would have called his cell phone so he could see who it was. The only people who ever called his landline were telemarketers, and he largely ignored them. They could leave a message so he could call them back, he figured.

The phone had stopped ringing and Kurt went back into a steady working pace when his cell phone went crazy on the table. There must have been five text messages by the time it stopped moving around the table, and he rolled his eyes as he opened his inbox.

In it he found eight text messages from Blaine. Kurt frowned. Why would Blaine be texting him? Wasn't he supposed to be back in a few days? He opened the first one and saw the date in the corner, slapping his hand on his forehead at his forgetfulness. How could it already be Saturday? He read through the messages quickly:

_Kurt, I'm back._

_Kurt, open your door._

_Hi, this is Blaine._

_Open your door._

_Kurt._

_Open._

_Your._

_Door._

Kurt ran to his door and flung it open to find Blaine sitting on the floor in the hallway against the wall with a paper grocery bag in his lap, whistling to pass the time.

"Oh, hey! How's it going, Kurt? Did I wake you up or something?" Blaine smiled up at Kurt brightly, and got to his feet.

Kurt frowned and looked down at himself, until he noticed what Blaine was talking about. He was wearing an old pair of dark sweatpants and an old McKinley football t-shirt that was still a little too big for him, even though he had gotten taller and his shoulders had broadened out some. Something that he would never be caught dead wearing in front of other people, yet here he was, in front of Blaine, wearing those awful clothes.

"Oh, right. That. Um, you kind of caught me at a bad time, actually," Kurt stared at Blaine as he walked in through the door.

"Kurt, your apartment is a mess." And really it was. The state of disarray it was in was pitiful for someone like Kurt who prided himself in his cleanliness. The kitchen sink was stacked with messy dishes and dirty pots, the counters were streaked in what must have been a hastily done cleaning with a rag. In the living room, there were books piled all over the floor and laundry all over the place, most of it not in the basket on the couch. The table off to the side was piled with even more books and swatches of fabric and there was paper everywhere.

In truth, Kurt hadn't noticed how bad it had gotten.

"Oh geez, I'm so sorry about that, I just got so side-tracked with studying I kind of just let the place go."

Blaine didn't say a word but went straight to the coffee pot and rinsed it out before filling it with water and putting it back in place. He turned it on and opened the cupboards to look for some coffee to use. He grabbed all of the coffee in there and placed one of the bags by the coffeemaker and put the rest in the freezer. Then, he saw Kurt's confused look. "It keeps it fresher longer when you put it in the freezer," he said, then measured out enough for the pot and put it in the filter in the top.

"What are you doing?" asked Kurt, still standing there with the same expression on his face.

"Don't worry about it, Kurt. I figured that you would still have finals when I got back, so I thought I'd help you out. Clearly, you need more help than I thought you would, though." Blaine went back into the kitchen and took out a couple containers of vanilla yogurt from the grocery bag and a big cantaloupe, which he held under cold water to wash it off. He found a knife in one of the drawers and set to work on cutting up the cantaloupe while Kurt just stared at him.

"Go study, Kurt. You need to be prepared for your finals," said Blaine as he handed Kurt a bowl of yogurt and cut up cantaloupe with a spoon. Kurt sat down at the table and dug in, not realizing how hungry he was until he smelled the fruit and the yogurt. The coffeemaker beeped to tell that it was ready, so Blaine found a big mug and poured Kurt a huge cup of coffee and handed that to him as well. "It's caffeinated. You're gonna need all the energy you can get."

Kurt nodded in agreement as he went back to studying and sipping the hot cup of coffee. Before it was too long, Blaine was shaking his shoulder and talking to Kurt quietly. "I'm going to leave now, but just give me a call if you need anything, okay?"

Nodding, Kurt looked around the room and found that everything had been cleaned up and it smelled fresh, like Blaine had actually scrubbed the counters and the sink in the kitchen and dusted the cramped apartment. The clothes that had been strewn around the living room had been folded neatly and were in the basket that Blaine had put outside the door to Kurt's bedroom. Kurt's place looked immaculate once more.

He turned back to Blaine with wide eyes. "But – how – why –"

"I went to Dalton. Finals there were _intense_, and I learned how to manage everything once I got to college, where it was even worse. I figured you could use some help, so I stopped by and gave you some help. It'll be over before you know it," said Blaine, and Kurt knew that it would be. It was just the matter of getting to the point of finals that was always so stressful, because once they were over, everything was fine and he could relax once more.

And everything was fine after finals week had passed. Most of Kurt's exams were early on in the week, so he got to enjoy a half week to himself to unwind and sleep off all the late night studying he did. Blaine called a few times since he left to check in on Kurt and to see if he needed anything, and Kurt could not even begin to express how thankful he was that Blaine had stopped by to clean things up and get him back on track.

The day after his last final, Kurt called Blaine to tell him what time the gala was and what to wear. "Make sure you wear something nice—this is a black tie affair, you know, with those stuffy art critics—you need to dress to impress."

"I don't think that will be a problem," said Blaine on the other end, and they hung up shortly after.

-O-

The gala was on Saturday, right after finals to ensure that the students who were featured in it would still be around before they left for the holidays.

Kurt spent some time in front of his closet trying to pick something out to wear. He didn't know if he wanted to go traditional black tie, or try something new since he was always pushing boundaries. After a while, he settled on a plain black suit but with shiny lapels and a matching tie. He wore a red and black pocket square and shined his shoes until they gleamed. He was ready meet Blaine at the gallery.

When he got there, he searched for any familiar face and found a few people who were in his summer art class and chatted with them for a while until Blaine got there. About ten minutes passed and he still didn't see him, which put a frown on his face. He had told him to be there a quarter after eight, and it was nearly half past.

A voice behind him spoke up. "You shouldn't frown too much, Kurt. A smile suits you better, I think."

Kurt turned around, and there he was, in a slim black suit with a perfect black bowtie. Blaine had finally shaved and cut his hair, which took the several years off his face that he had put on overseas. He looked _really_ good. Kurt smiled.

"Oh, there you are. I've been looking for you forever. Where were you?"

"Sorry, there was some traffic on the way here. I took a cab," answered Blaine, smiling back. "Ah, there we go. Now you're smiling."

Kurt blushed a little, but maybe that was just the bright lights. He hoped Blaine hadn't seen that, so he turned his head and pretended to look for his own exhibit (of course he already knew where it was) to hide how red his face had gotten.

"Um, shall we?" said Kurt as he recovered and held out his arm, turning up his nose to imitate the other people nearby. Blaine gently placed his arm on Kurt's and turned his nose upwards as well. "I daresay it is time we examine these pieces of art," he said in response, putting on a bad British accent.

They walked around for a little bit, and while Kurt had put his arm down, Blaine's hand hadn't left Kurt's. Although he liked the warm feeling of Blaine's hand, Kurt had no idea what that was supposed to mean or why Blaine seemed to ignore the fact that he had intertwined his fingers with Kurt's. It felt nice, though.

Kurt's little corner of the exhibit was straight ahead, so they walked closer to better see his art. Blaine looked at the work while Kurt explained what it was, or what the assignment had been and then was quiet so Blaine could admire it properly.

The last one, Kurt hadn't expected to be in the exhibit. It was that assignment he had stressed over for the last month of the class, and while he quite liked it, he wasn't sure if he wanted Blaine to see it yet. Kurt didn't say much to explain it, and all he could get out was a strangled "Um…" before he fell silent again, because really, what was there to explain about it without making things intensely awkward?

The painting was of Blaine, that first day that they met, before Blaine had gone into the diner where he was just sitting on the bench. It would have been just an ordinary painting of a person all by themselves on a bench, but Kurt had managed to make it so much more, simply by choosing the right colors to convey how _lonely_ Blaine had looked that day. Kurt still didn't even know why that image had struck him that night after talking to Blaine, but he was glad it did since it gave him the opportunity to actually turn in an assignment. He just wasn't sure how Blaine was going to react to it.

Blaine actually didn't say much, thankfully (or would that have been a bad thing—Kurt wasn't sure), and they moved on to the next exhibit before long.

It was getting late, and Kurt was ready to head home, but Blaine first insisted that Kurt see where he lived, since Blaine had already been to Kurt's apartment a few times and Kurt hadn't seen his place yet. Kurt reluctantly agreed, but then thought about what he might find at Blaine's place. It could give Kurt more of an insight as to who Blaine really was, and the thought of that intrigued him, which won over his tiredness, so he walked beside Blaine on the way to his apartment.

They stopped outside one of those brownstone buildings with nice windows out front, and all Kurt could think of was that Blaine had to come from serious money to be able to afford something like that (New York wasn't cheap, after all, which was why Kurt had considered taking on another job to pay his rent and tuition to NYU). Once inside, Kurt admired the clean lines of the furniture, like the table by the door which held various items like keys and bills to be paid and sent.

Blaine ripped off his bowtie almost immediately and loosened the top buttons of his dress shirt. "You'd think that wearing a tie for my uniform for three years in high school would get me used to wearing this sort of thing, but I really just can't stand the feeling of something around my neck all the time," he said tiredly. Kurt loosened his own tie as well, silently agreeing with Blaine.

All of a sudden, he felt an overwhelming need to explain about the particular painting of Blaine that he had been so quiet about all evening. "Listen, Blaine, about that painting –"

"No. No no no, Kurt. You do _not _need to apologize for that. I actually kind of wanted to talk about that, though," said Blaine, taking off his jacket and hanging it on the coat hook. "What, um, inspired you to do that?" he asked quietly.

"Oh. Well, I think it was after he had a few conversations on Skype, but then I was hit with that first time I saw you on that bench and I wanted to paint that. I don't really know why. I felt kind of possessed, actually when I painted that. My subconscious kind of took over, and before I knew it, it was finished."

Blaine considered that. "My only problem is that I don't look like that anymore."

"I don't understand. You look almost exactly the same, Blaine. Especially since you cut your hair…"

"No, not that. It's just – I look so lonely and sad there."

"You're not that way anymore?" Kurt teased.

"No. Because I have you," said Blaine, like that was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I think I kind of love you," blurted out Kurt. He froze, not believing that he just said that. There was no way he could take that back at all.

"Uh –" he started, but he was cut off by the soft crush of Blaine's lips against his own. Kurt was still for a moment before kissing back because whoa, there was something there in that kiss. Blaine pulled away and stared at Kurt for a second. "I kind of love you, too," he said breathlessly, and then went in again desperately, hands moving down to grip Kurt's hips. Kurt fisted his hands in Blaine's shirt, keeping their mouths fused together as they stumbled down the hall to Blaine's bedroom and onto the bed.

Kurt took off his jacket and his tie and threw them unceremoniously onto the chair in the corner. He knew that in the morning he was going to curse himself for leaving them in that state, but right now, there were more important things to take care of. He turned back to Blaine, who was unbuttoning his own shirt and tossing it on the floor with his pants. Doing the same, he climbed on top of Blaine and hovered above him, teasing just slightly before leaning in to kiss him hungrily. Blaine's hands wandered all over Kurt's body, feeling the sinuous muscle under the warm layers of smooth skin that he just loved to touch.

Kurt's mouth moved down and latched itself onto Blaine's neck, right in the crevice below his ear and sucked on it slightly, just to experiment. He was met with Blaine bucking his hips up uncontrollably, and Kurt felt his hardness right there, with just boxers between them. "Oh god, _Kurt_," Blaine moaned. Kurt's hands roamed lower and lower on Blaine's body until he got to the waistband of his boxers and slipped his hands in them to grip the base of Blaine's cock and began pumping his hand slowly. Blaine bucked up once more into Kurt's hand, making all sorts of whimpering noises.

Blaine held up a hand to stop Kurt and quickly slipped his boxers off while Kurt did the same, and then they went right back at what they were doing, kissing and touching and murmuring softly. "_Blaine!_" yelled Kurt when he twisted his hand just right on Kurt's cock. "Oh my god. Please, I just need you. I need it, Blaine," he sputtered. So Blaine leaned over to rummage through the drawer of his bedside table to look for the lube and condoms. He finally found it and coated his fingers with the lube and turned back to Kurt, who was now laying on the bed below him, looking flushed and slightly sweaty and just incredible.

He pressed a finger at Kurt's entrance and teased there for just a moment before slipping it in slowly and moving it around gently. Kurt tensed up a little, but relaxed as Blaine stretched him open. "Do another," said Kurt, so Blaine obeyed his command. He scissored his fingers to stretch him as best as he could, and angled them to search for that one spot that was sure to make Kurt fall apart. The noise Kurt suddenly made signaled that he had found it, and Blaine pumped his fingers slightly, hitting that spot every once in a while.

Kurt tried to pump himself up and down on Blaine's fingers, but Blaine stilled him. "You need to wait, Kurt. Good things happen to those who wait," he said. "Yeah well then hurry up." Blaine laughed and added another finger and worked them for a little bit before he removed them to roll on the condom. Kurt whined at the loss, but was met with gratitude once Blaine slicked the lube onto his erection and pressed the tip at Kurt's entrance and slid in slowly.

Blaine rocked his hips forward slowly, leaning down to kiss Kurt every other thrust. Kurt rocked his own hips in time with Blaine's and they set up a steady rhythm of moving back and forth, back and forth. After a while, Blaine's hand found Kurt's cock and he began to stroke it again until Kurt was gasping out. "God I'm close, so close, Blaine." Blaine himself was about to come as well, so he leaned down to whisper in Kurt's ear. "Come for me, Kurt," and Kurt did. He threw his head back in utter bliss and moaned loudly, and the sight alone was enough for Blaine to follow after. Blaine stroked Kurt through his orgasm in a jerky manner, since he was still dealing with the aftershock of his own, but when Kurt came down from that high, Blaine slipped out and rolled the condom off and tossed it in the trashcan nearby. He got up and returned quickly with a damp washcloth and wiped the drying cum off of Kurt's stomach before tossing that aside and crawling up next to Kurt and wrapping his arms around him and falling into a deep sleep together.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank you guys for reading this at this point, I love that there's still people sticking with this story.

And as for Blaine's time in the war, there absolutely will be more of that covered in the future, I promise. I have some of it planned out and I know what I want to do with that. Blaine _will_ be going back because this is only a furlough, after all. So for now this is just fluff (and a teensy bit of angst) after the bit of smut from the last chapter.

As always, please leave a review, even if it's just a quick word on whether or not you like where this is going or to say that you're still reading. It always puts a smile on my face when I get new reviews, so if you want to put a smile on my face, leave one please :)

Enjoy! And I don't own anything.

P.S. Did anyone catch the reference the line I threw into the last chapter? Yes? No? Tell me if you did or not :)

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><p>Things changed from then on. It was a simple change though, one that they both eased into like a second nature and there was nothing really to explain between the two of them. The next morning found Blaine making breakfast in the kitchen while Kurt stirred awake. Blaine brought him a cup of coffee, just how he liked it with no sugar and a splash of milk. Kurt smiled as he sat upright in Blaine's bed and pulled the mug close to him.<p>

"Thank you," he said sleepily. Blaine snuggled up next to him under the covers once more with his own cup and rested his head on the headboard behind him. The corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile as he gazed at Kurt out of the side of his eyes.

"So how long?" asked Blaine. Kurt didn't have to ask how long what, because it was obvious Blaine was wondering when Kurt fell in love with him, or at least stopped thinking of him platonically. He thought for a moment before answering.

"I think it was right before I painted that picture of you," he said finally, because the more he looked back on it, the more things seemed to click into place. Something had changed to inspire him to paint Blaine, and it must have been his feelings subconsciously driving him to do that. "I don't know why. I just got to know you better. I have a difficult time letting people in, getting to know me. Things were just hard in high school so I just kind of shut everyone out so I wouldn't get hurt by their words. You were the first person in a long time that seemed to get me and understand me without even prying. I think that's something that I've been missing in my life."

Blaine nodded, considering what Kurt had just said. "Well, as for me, I think it was around the same time, and kind of for the same reason. You were the only one to give me the time of day, Kurt, and I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for that in the first place. Because none of this would have happened if you hadn't agreed to my proposition. Let's just say I couldn't look at you the same way after you sang for me over that Skype call. You move me, Kurt." He smiled at Kurt as he told him everything, leaning against his shoulder and sipping his coffee.

Kurt put his coffee down on the bedside table and took Blaine's and put it next to his. He leaned down and kissed Blaine softly, grateful and a little surprised that he could do that, and that it was perfectly okay to kiss Blaine because Blaine wanted it in return. As they pulled away, Blaine was grinning like crazy and his hands found Kurt's face and he tugged him closer to kiss him deeper. The kiss intensified quickly and soon Kurt was on top on Blaine and carding his hands through his hair, playing with the curls.

He broke away from Blaine's mouth and pressed little kisses down his jaw before finding his mouth again, slowing down and just reveling in the fact that they could do this whenever they wanted to without being afraid of the other's boundaries. Kurt rolled off of Blaine and found his coffee and handed Blaine his own mug before taking a drink from his cup.

"What was that for?" asked Blaine.

"Oh, just because I can," answered Kurt with a sly smile on his face.

"Tease," muttered Blaine, and got up from his bed to take a shower. Kurt pulled him down for another quick kiss, then let him go off to get himself ready, laughing to himself as Blaine shot him something that looked like a begging puppy.

Blaine went into his bathroom and turned on the water to warm up. He put a hand inside to test it, and when it was hot enough, he slipped his boxers off (he put them on to make the coffee) and stepped inside the shower. First, he lathered his hair and was in the middle of scrubbing the shampoo in when he heard the door open as Kurt slipped his arms around Blaine's middle behind him.

"Hey," said Blaine.

"Hey," said Kurt back to him with a still-sleepy smile.

He turned around and pecked Kurt on the cheek and went back to washing his hair. Kurt looked at him with that same smile on his face before he asked Blaine if he could wash Blaine's hair himself.

"Really? You want to?"

"Yeah, I like playing with your hair," answered Kurt.

Blaine shrugged and turned back around and sat on the little bench in the corner of the shower while Kurt started massaging his scalp. "Close your eyes," said Kurt as he rinsed out the shampoo and worked in the conditioner. He let Blaine return the favor (which really was sort of a huge deal, because Kurt was very picky about who got to touch his hair) and they washed their own bodies and finished with the shower quickly.

"So what do you want to do today?" asked Blaine as they got dressed. He had let Kurt borrow a pair of his sweatpants and an old shirt from Dalton (god forbid he left Blaine's apartment like that). He already knew the answer though, when they settled down together on Blaine's couch to watch old movies together. It was perfectly okay with him to spend all day with Kurt since they had little time to spend with each other before Blaine inevitably had to return to the war in the desert.

He hated it over there, to be honest. He didn't know a single guy in his unit that liked being over there, actually. Most of them just put on a brave face and pretended like it was everything that they wanted to be doing with their lives and more. That's the mindset Blaine expected to be living over there with, but once he spent time over there and saw the corrupt government and people literally down the street from him being blown up like nothing more than a firecracker on the Fourth of July, he really didn't want to go back.

War was really just a distraction for him. He went into it thinking that maybe it would shape him, and make him appreciate everything that he had growing up—and it completely did, to see the other men compare their lives to each other made him entirely grateful for his "easy" life as a teenager with his parent's money—except Blaine's childhood wasn't perfect. Maybe he joined to forget the things he had to endure and remove those awful memories from his mind. Maybe he did it just to spite his father. Maybe he did it just to prove a point (of which he forgot the one he wanted to make). Maybe he really just didn't know why he joined. All he knew is that at that point in his life he was frustrated and felt like there was nowhere to turn. Only later he found out that being cornered in life like that was probably one of the worst possible things.

The problem was that once he met Kurt, it was too late and he had a contract to uphold. Things only got worse the more he got to know Kurt and began to fall for him—despite his earlier attempts to keep it strictly platonic. Blaine spent a lot of sleepless nights just wondering how different his life would be if he hadn't joined the military. Of course, there was absolutely nothing wrong with being _in_ the military. He rightfully respected the other people like him that laid their life on the line to protect the welfare of their country. He just felt like everything was too glorified to be a part of it. Because the moment you see a friend die in front of your very eyes, your view of the world changes.

You wonder how a person can live with themselves knowing that they are the reason a complete stranger no longer walks the earth, breathes air, and lives their mundane lives day to day.

It's not just the soldiers that are killed. Innocent citizens (for which there is no excuse) die every day for things that they have no control over, and other people go on like it's just another part of an ordinary day. People don't bat an eyelid because it's simply what they have known.

Things have gotten better…it's just not good enough.

And Blaine doesn't think it will ever be good enough. At least not in his lifetime.

For now, though, he has Kurt nestled into his side where he can hold him close and make the best of the time they have left together. He likes the way Kurt fits into the crook of his own body, and the way his head rests on Blaine's chest, right below Blaine's chin. He can smell the fresh scent of Kurt's hair, which smells like his own shampoo but still enough like Kurt to comfort him and tether his thoughts back to the present.

They watch movies almost all day, just relaxing with each other and holding hands and twirling gentle fingers through hair. It's calm and quiet and so perfect after everything that built up to this point. Sort of like a calm after the storm of crazy and hasty confessions instead of the calm before the storm. It was alright, though, because things were reciprocated and earned and genuine, so they both just let it slide by that the night before had sort of come out of nowhere.

Because that was okay. Things like that happened.

All they had to do was learn how to move forward beyond that point and live their lives, which was turning out to be far simpler than they both inwardly thought it would be.

And so by the time Blaine _does_ return overseas, it's Kurt who has to return to his own apartment and learn how to live without the constant contact of BlaineBlaine_Blaine_ nearly every day. Sleeping becomes difficult since there's nobody to hold at night.

But he gets by. Blaine gets by. _They_ get by. They still manage to have the Skype conversations. Only, this time, there's the layer of want that's visible in both of their expressions that just screams _I miss you I miss you I miss you_, the problem being that neither of them can do a thing about it.

It's hard.

And it's entirely unexpected when Kurt receives his diploma in the spring and sees Blaine's face in the crowd sitting next to Burt, Carole, and Finn.

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><p>AN: Okay so you get two notes. This is just to say that if you hadn't already guessed, time isn't going to pass by in a steady manner. I'm going to jump around now that we've gotten past certain things, so don't expect to have things go by in a special order unless I say it will (sorry).


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